In BuddyTV's Glee News Round-Up earlier today, we mentioned that Glee recently has been looking to cast someone to play a grande dame on the show: "The FOX hit is currently looking to cast an imposing theatrical grande dame who would appear this season and next." We now know who the show has cast in this role.

TVLine is reporting that EGOT (Emmy, Golden Globe, Oscar, Tony) winner Whoopi Goldberg and current moderator on ABC's The View has been cast as Carmen Tibideaux, "a theatrical grande dame and a professor at New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts (NYADA) who travels to Ohio to preside over Kurt and Rachel's auditions -- and apparently she sticks around long enough to deliver a verdict."

This is an extremely important role for Ms. Goldberg, as Rachel and Kurt's futures are in the hands of her character, Carmen Tibideaux (don't you love that name?). In a recent episode of Glee before its winter hiatus, fans found out that, after an agonizing wait, the two theater lovers were finalists and in the running for open spots at NYADA.

Whoopi's guest starring role is for three episodes ("roughly," as TVLine puts it); her debut airs May 1. With the season 3 finale set to air May 22, and assuming her role is for back to back to back episodes, she'll announce her NYADA verdict to Kurt and Rachel on May 15, one week before the finale.

The show will need to fit in both Nationals and graduation, and I'm assuming each will have their own episode. If that assumption is correct, I wonder if Whoopi will be in the audience for Nationals and take that into consideration with her decision (maybe Schuester will make sure Kurt and Rachel will be front and center during the performances?). Then the finale could focus on graduation.

When this casting announcement first surfaced a couple weeks ago, it was mentioned that the grande dame character could appear next season as well. Since Whoopi works on The View in New York and Glee films in LA, it is unlikely that Carmen Tibideaux will ever become a regular, possibly no more than a few more guest spots next year at most ... unless Ryan Murphy decides to use both coasts to film the show (maybe that's part of his "revolutionary" idea for season 4?).

Speaking of Nationals, we all know Glee loves to cast big names as the judges. In past competitions, such stars as Josh Groban, Olivia Newton-John and Kathy Griffin have all stopped by, some playing themselves, some as fictional characters. Now word comes to us that Lindsay Lohan can be added to that list. The (former?) troubled actress, who is currently attempting a comeback (including hosting SNL), will be one of the celebrity judges at this season's Nationals competition. It is unknown at this point who will join her as judges, or even if the others will be big stars.